Easy open re-closable packaging bag

ABSTRACT

The invention teaches a new type of mesh bag suitable for machine packaging. The first end of the mesh bag is a reserved opening for filling and sealing. The second end of the mesh bag includes a one-pull, easy-open mechanism and a re-closing mechanism. The re-closing mechanism is a drawstring perforating around the second end of the mesh bag. The one-pull, easy open mechanism is a line of easy open stitches which sews a small strip of hard paper with the wall of the mesh bag at its second end. The two mechanisms can be pre-set in parallel or integrated in a same line with the small strip of the hard paper overlaid on the drawstring.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to the field of designing andmanufacturing of packaging bags such as woven bas or mesh bags forcontaining fruits, nuts or produce. More particularly, the inventionrelates to a packaging bag with an easy-open and re-closable end otherthan the end with an opening for filling and sealing.

2. Description of the Related Art

Mesh bags have been widely used in commercial packaging and storing,laundry, as well as sports. More particularly, light weight and heavyduty mesh bags are widely used for containing and storing fruits, nuts,onions, garlic, and etc.

Traditionally, there are two ways to seal the opening of the mesh bag.FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating a mesh bag 11 according tothe prior art. The bottom end of the mesh bag 11 is sealed with a lineof stitches 13 or other kind of sealing which constitutes a bottom,i.e., a dead end, to avoid leakage. The top end of the mesh bag 11 isreserved open and has an annular band or lace or a drawstring (hereinafter as the drawstring) 12 perforating around the top edge of the meshbag 11. After the mesh bag 11 is filled with onions or the like, theuser pulls the drawstring 12 and tie it up as shown in FIG. 1B. To takethe onions or the like out from the mesh bag 11, the user may eitheruntie the drawstring 12, or cut the drawstring 12 with a knife or a pairof scissors, or slit the mesh bag 11 from its top with a knife or asharp tool. The shortcoming of the mesh bag 11 is that it is notsuitable for machine packaging.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating a mesh bag 21 according toanother prior art. The bottom end of the mesh bag 21 is sealed with aline of stitches or other kind of sealing which constitutes a dead endto avoid leakage. After the mesh bag 21 is filled with onions or thelike, it is sealed along its top edge with a sewed line of stitches 22as shown in FIG. 2B. To take the onions or the like out from the meshbag 21, the user may cut along the line of sealing stitches 22 or simplymake a slit 23 on the mesh bag 21 from its top with a knife or a sharptool as shown in FIG. 2C. The mesh bag 21 is suitable for machinefilling and sealing. However, it has two major shortcomings: first, theuser has to use a knife or a sharp tool to open it to take the onions orlike out of the mesh bag; and second, after it is opened, the user hasto use external means to reclose the opening for keeping the remainingonions or the like in the mesh bag.

What is desired is a mesh bag suitable for machine packaging, which hasa one-pull easy-open, re-closable end such that when the use is to openthe mesh bag, only a single pull is needed and when the user is tore-close the bag, he just needs to pull the re-closing drawstring andtie it up.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention teaches a new type of mesh bag suitable forautomatic machine packaging. One end of the mesh bag is a reservedopening for filling and sealing. The other end of the mesh bag includesa one-pull, easy-open mechanism and a re-closing mechanism. There-closing mechanism is a drawstring, perforating around the end of themesh bag. The one-pull, easy open mechanism is a line of easy openstitches which sew a small strip of hard paper with the end of the meshbag. The two mechanisms can be pre-set in parallel or integrated in asame line, with the small strip of the hard paper overlaid on thedrawstring.

To fill the mesh bag, a packaging machine opens the top end by a suckingapparatus. After the mesh bag is filled with onions or the like, thepackaging machine seals the opening with a line of stitches or otherkind of sealing such as heat sealing.

When the user is to open the mesh bag, the users puts the end with theeasy open mechanism and the re-closing mechanism upward. Then, he pullsthe tip of the line of the easy open stitches and the line of stitchesis thereby removed. When the user is to re-close the bag, he just needsto pull the re-closing drawstring and tie it up.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating a mesh bag according to theprior art;

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram illustrating the re-closing procedure bytying-up the mesh bag according to FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating a mesh bag according toanother prior art;

FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram illustrating the mesh bag according toFIG. 2A which was filled with onions or the like and was machine-sealedwith a line of stitches;

FIG. 2C is a schematic diagram illustrating the filled mesh bagaccording to FIG. 2B which was opened using a knife or a sharp tool;

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating a mesh bag with an easy-openend according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating both the front and the backviews of the easy-open mechanism according to FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram illustrating a mesh bag for containingonions or the like according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram illustrating the mesh bag according toFIG. 4A which is filled with onions or the like and sealed with a lineof stitches;

FIG. 4C is a schematic diagram illustrating the mesh bag according toFIG. 4A which is filled with onions or the like in a position to beopened by a user;

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram illustrating the front view of theeasy-open end of a mesh bag according to one preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram illustrating the back view of theeasy-open end of the mesh bag according to FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram illustrating the front view of theeasy-open end of a mesh bag according to another preferred embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram illustrating the back view of theeasy-open end of the mesh bag according to FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram illustrating the front view of theeasy-open end of a mesh bag according to another preferred embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram illustrating the back view of theeasy-open end of the mesh bag according to FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram illustrating a packaging bag with aneasy-open end according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram illustrating the back view of thepackaging bag according to FIG. 8A;

FIG. 8C is a schematic diagram illustrating the packaging bag accordingto FIG. 8A which is sealed after being filled with articles; and

FIG. 8D is a schematic diagram illustrating the packaging bag accordingto FIG. 8A which is opened by removing the easy-open strip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating a mesh bag 31 with aneasy-open end 32 according to a typical embodiment of the presentinvention. A piece of annular plastic membrane or film 35 is moulded orintegrated with the top end of the mesh bag 31. The primary purpose ofthe membrane or film 35 is to avoid ventilation when a packaging machineis to open the top end by sucking. There are two pairs of punch holes 34on the membrane or film 35 for setting the mesh bag on the holders ofthe packaging machine. The bottom end of the mesh bag is sealed orseamed with a line easy-open stitches which constitutes an easy-openmechanism 32.

In operation, the packaging machine sucks the two folded sides of themembrane or film 35 apart such that the top end of the mesh bag 31 opensits mouth from which the onions or the like are inputed into the meshbag 31. After the mesh bag 31 is filled with onions or the like, it issealed or seamed by sewing with a line of stitches across the membraneor film 35. To take the onions or the like out from the mesh bag 31, theuser may turn the bag upside down and remove the easy open stitches bypulling the its string. FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating boththe front view 32 a and the back view 32 b of the easy-open mechanism 32according to FIG. 3A. Note that the textual product information, label,graphics and trademark are preferably oriented toward the easy-open end36 and they look upside-down when the bag is in the filling andpackaging position. However, when the user is to open the bag, he wouldput the easy-open end upward and thus the textual product information,label, graphics and trademark would look upright for normal reading.

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram illustrating a mesh bag 41 for containingonions or the like according to another typical embodiment of theinvention. The mesh bag 41 is made of soft, flexible materials withsufficient strength to hold onions or the like. The mesh bag 41 has anunsealed opening 42 at its first end for filling. The second end of themesh bag 41 is pre-sealed with a line of easy-open stitches 44 sewnacross the entire transverse length of the bag. The line of easy-openstitches 44, together with the enclosure, i.e., the mesh bag wall, formsa bottom of the mesh bag, i.e., a dead end, to avoid leakage. The secondend of the mesh bag also includes a pre-set annular band or lace or adrawstring (herein after as the drawstring) 43 perforating the mesh bag41. After the mesh bag 41 is filled with onions or the like, theunsealed opening 42 is then sealed using a packaging machine with asewing function or a thermal sealing function. While the mesh bag 41 isbeing filled by a packaging machine, the opening 42 is usually upward.However, as shown in FIG. 4A, the textual product information, labels,signs, graphics, and trademark 45 are oriented downward or upside down.FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram illustrating the mesh bag 41 filled withonions or the like and sealed with a line of stitches 46. FIG. 4C is aschematic diagram illustrating the mesh bag 41 filled with onions or thelike in a position to be opened by a user. When the user is to open themesh bag 41, he does not need to cut the mesh bag 41 as in the situationof the prior arts. Rather, he just needs to pull the line of easy-openstitches 44. The line of easy-open stitches 44 will be easily removedwhen it is pulled by the user. After part of the onions or the like istaken from the mesh bag 41, the user may re-close it by pulling thedrawstring 43 and tie it up as illustrated in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram illustrating the front view of theeasy-open end of the mesh bag 51 according to one preferred embodimentof the present invention. Adjacent to the very edge 55 of the mesh bag51 is the easy-open mechanism which includes a hard-paper slip or strip(herein after as the slip) 53 and a line of easy-open stitches 54 whichsews the hard-paper slip 53 and the wall or enclosure (herein after asthe wall) of the mesh bag 51 together along the edge 55. Next to thehard-paper slip 53 is the drawstring 52 which is used for re-closing andtying-up. FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram illustrating the back view ofthe easy-open end of the mesh bag 51 according to the preferredembodiment as illustrated in FIG. 5A. The re-closing mechanism is adrawstring 52, perforating the mesh bag wall. However, the hard-paperslip 53 is not annular. It is only on one side of the mesh bag 51. Theline of easy-open stitches 54 actually sews the hard-paper slip 53 andtwo sides of the mesh bag wall together. After the two sides of the meshbag wall are sewed together, the wall and the sealed end constitute abag or pocket for containing onions or the like. To open the filled meshbag, the user simply removes the line of easy-open stitches 54 bypulling it to one direction. To re-close the mesh bag, the user simplypulls the drawstring 52 and ties it up.

The comparative positions of the re-closing drawstring and the line ofeasy-open stitches can be interchanged. FIG. 6A is a schematic diagramillustrating the front view of the easy-open end of the mesh bag 61according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.Adjacent to the very edge 65 of the mesh bag 61 is the drawstring 62which is used for re-closing and tying-up. Next to the drawstring 62 isthe easy-open mechanism which includes a hard-paper slip 63 and a lineof easy-open stitches 64 which sews the hard-paper slip 63 and the wallof the mesh bag 61 together along the edge 65. FIG. 6B is a schematicdiagram illustrating the back view of the easy-open end of the mesh bag61 according to the preferred embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 6A. There-closing drawstring 62 is annular, perforating the mesh bag wall.However, the hard-paper slip 63 is not annular. It is only on one sideof the mesh bag 61. The line of easy-open stitches 64 actually sews thehard-paper slip 63 and two sides of the mesh bag wall together. Afterthe two sides of the mesh bag wall are sewed together, the wall and thesealed end constitute a bag or pocket for containing onions or the like.To open the filled mesh bag 61, the user simply removes the line ofeasy-open stitches 64 by pulling it to one direction. To re-close themesh bag, the user simply pulls the drawstring 62 and ties it up.

FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram illustrating the front view of theeasy-open end of the mesh bag 71 according to another preferredembodiment of the present invention. Adjacent to the very edge 75 of themesh bag 71 is the drawstring 72 which is used for re-closing andtying-up. The easy-open mechanism includes a piece of hard-paper slip 73and a line of easy-open stitches sewed along the hard-paper slip 73. Inthis embodiment, the easy-open mechanism is integrated with thedrawstring 72. In particular, the drawstring 72 is pre-set along thewall of the mesh bag 71. To make a bag or pocket using the mesh bagwall, the end must be sealed along the edge 75. In this embodiment, thehard-paper slip 73, the two sides of the wall of the mesh bag 71 and thedrawstring 72 are all sewed together along the edge 75 with the line ofeasy-open stitches 74. FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram illustrating theback view of the easy-open end of the mesh bag 71 according to thepreferred embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 7A. The pre-set re-closingdrawstring 72 is annular, perforating the mesh bag wall. However, thehard-paper slip 73 is not annular. It is only on one side of the meshbag 71. The line of easy-open stitches 74 actually sews the drawstring72, the hard-paper slip 73 and two sides of the mesh bag wall together.After the two sides of the mesh bag wall are sewed together, the walland the sealed end constitute a bag or pocket for containing onions orthe like. To open the filled mesh bag, the user simply removes the lineof easy-open stitches 74 by pulling it to one direction. To re-close thebag, the user simply pulls the drawstring 72 and ties it up.

FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram illustrating a packaging bag with aneasy-open end 87 according to another embodiment of the invention. Theenclosure or the wall of the packaging bag is a tube or a cylindricalmember 81 made of flexible materials such as woven textile. FIG. 8B is aschematic diagram illustrating the back view of the packaging bagaccording to FIG. 8A. The first end 82 of the packaging bag is anopening for filling with articles. There are four holes 84 on the firstend 82 for inserting the packaging bag through the holders 85 of apackaging machine. In operation, to open the mouth of the packaging bag,the packaging machine pulls the first end 82 from both its front sideand its back side, thus the front side and the back side slide along theholders 85 in opposite directions. The textual product information,labels, graphics, or trademark 86 are toward the second end 83 of thepackaging bag. The second end 83 constitutes a bottom of the packagingbag for avoid leakage. The bottom is made by sewing a hard paper strip87 as shown in FIG. 3B and the tube or cylindrical member 81 togetherwith a line of easy-open stitches 88.

FIG. 8C is a schematic diagram illustrating the usage position of thepackaging bag according to FIG. 8A which is sealed at its first end 82with a line of sealing stitches after it was filled with articles. Toopen the packaging bag, the user just needs to turn the bag up as shownin FIG. 8C and pulls the line of easy-open stitches 88. After the hardpaper strip 87 and the easy-open stitches 88 are removed as shown inFIG. 8D, the second end 83 of the bag is thus open and the user may takethe articles out from the bag.

The enclosure or the wall of the packaging bag as illustrated above canbe made of mesh, paper, laminated paper, plastic, synthetic resin, woventextile, leno fabric, knitting fabric, with poly or any other flexiblematerials with sufficient strength for holding articles. There areseveral ways to make the enclosure or the wall. For example, it can be asingle piece of tube or cylindrical member. For another example, it canbe made by folding one piece of scare or rectangular materials from themiddle line and seaming or sealing the two edges which parallel to themiddle line. Further, it can also be made by using two pieces of squareor rectangular materials and seaming or sealing from two parallelingsides.

Although the invention has been described with reference to at least onespecific embodiment, this description is not meant to be construed in alimiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments,alternative embodiments or other equivalent solutions of implementingthe easy-open, re-closable mesh bag structure will become apparent tothose skilled in the art upon reference to the description of theinvention. It is therefore contemplated that such modifications,equivalents, and alternatives can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appendedclaims.

1. A packaging bag, comprising: an enclosure with a first end which isan opening for filling, and a pre-sealed second end, wherein saidopening is sealed after said packaging bag is filled with articles, andwherein said second end comprises a line of easy open stitches whichsews a hard paper slip with said enclosure, and said hard paper slip andsaid line of easy open stitches thereon may be easily removed by pullingthe string tip of said line of easy open stitches to one direction. 2.The packaging bag of claim 1, wherein said first end has two pair ofpunch holes for setting said packaging bag through two pairs of holdersof a packaging machine.
 3. The packaging bag of claim 1, wherein textualproduct information, labels, graphics, and trademark are oriented towardsaid second end.
 4. The packaging bag of claim 1, wherein said enclosureis a cylindrical member.
 5. The packaging bag of claim 1, where saidenclosure is made by folding a piece of square or rectangular materialfrom its middle and seaming its two edges paralleling to its middleline.
 6. The packaging bag of claim 1, wherein said second end comprisesan drawstring perforating said enclosure, wherein after said second endis open by removing said hard paper slip and said line of easy openstitches, said second end can be re-closed by pulling said drawstringand tying it up.
 7. The packaging bag of claim 6, wherein saiddrawstring and said line of easy open stitches are set in parallel. 8.The packaging bag of claim 6, wherein said drawstring and said line ofeasy open stitches are set together, with said hard paper slip overlaidon said drawstring.
 9. A mesh bag for packaging, comprising: anenclosure; a first end which is an opening for filling; and a pre-sealedsecond end forming a bottom of said mesh bag; wherein said opening issealed after said mesh bag is filled with articles; wherein said firstend has an annular film integrated with said enclosure and there are twopair of punch holes in said first end for setting said mesh bag throughtwo pairs of holders of a packaging machine; wherein said second endcomprises a line of easy open stitches which sews a hard paper slip withsaid enclosure; and wherein said hard paper slip and said line of easyopen stitches thereon may be easily removed by pulling the string tip ofsaid line of easy open stitches to one direction.
 10. The mesh bag ofclaim 9, wherein textual product information, labels, graphics, andtrademark are oriented toward said second end.
 11. The mesh bag of claim9, wherein said enclosure is a cylindrical member.
 12. The mesh bag ofclaim 9, where said enclosure is made by folding a piece of square orrectangular material from its middle line and seaming its two edgeswhich parallel to said middle line.
 13. The mesh bag of claim 9, whereinsaid second end comprises an drawstring perforating said enclosure,wherein after said second end is open by removing said hard paper slipand said line of easy open stitches, said second end can be re-closed bypulling said drawstring and tying it up.
 14. The mesh bag of claim 13,wherein said drawstring and said line of easy open stitches are set inparallel.
 15. The mesh bag of claim 13, wherein said drawstring and saidline of easy open stitches are set together, with said hard paper slipoverlaid on said drawstring.